Six months after a scaffolding collapse killed three men and injured two others at a Charlotte construction site, the North Carolina Department of Labor has issued fines and released its findings.
Heavily rusted steel and a lack of safety testing contributed to the structural failure at an apartment building under construction in Dilworth, the DOL reported on Wednesday.
Two companies, Old North State Masonry and Friends Masonry Construction, were fined more than $130,000 over nine allegations of serious labor violations.
DOL says the scaffolding was not properly constructed or tested before it was loaded with more than 1,700 pounds, including workers and equipment. The bridge section collapsed under the weight, DOL says, at a height of about 70 feet.
Gilberto Mónico Fernández, Jesus "Chuy" Olivares and José Canaca Bonilla died at the scene.
The companies will have 15 days to contest the citations with the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
"The penalties are in no way designed to make up for the loss of life," said DOL spokesperson Erin Wilson, in a statement. The money from such fines is paid to a fund that goes to public schools.